Which Penhaligon's

Hi fellow Basenoters. I want to buy my first Penhaligon's fragrance so I am curious to get your thoughts on which one I should get. I've narrowed it down to the four you see in the poll. So, judging by your favorite and/or fragrances from my wardrobe, which one would you choose?

I sampled all the range and liked Elixir and Hammam Bouquet the most. I walked around Edinburgh for several hours with Elixir on one arm and Hammam Bouquet on the other with the intention of buying the one I liked the most, however, after around 2 hours I could hardly smell either and what was left was very linear and faded. The fragrances are all superb and very different but seemingly have poor longevity which put me off considering the £50.00 asking price. Great shop - excellent staff but couldn't bring myself to buy - shame!

If you are prepared to re-apply frequently or just want a subtle scent which will last a couple of hours then try Hammam or Castile. The Elixir is also excellent - lots of incense and spices

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From the list you provided, I would plump for Castile. I am a big fan of Hammam Bouquet, but I tend to prefer it in the cooler weather. English Fern is a fine scent, but significantly inferior to the Trumper version in my opinion.

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I don't know you that well, but Hammam Bouquet is very interesting but to me, pretty dressy or formal. Very old world-ish.

While Blenheim Bouquet has a strong cult following here and at our other forum, it is one of the few scents from Pens I find to have near zero longevity. I've sampled it twice and after a loud lemon drop opening, I get, well, nothing. Gone in under an hour. I also see that is a constant criticism of BB in the Directory here. You can try it.

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Thanks for your input everybody. I'll probably end up taking scensitivity's suggestion and get samples first, since this is a pricey line of fragrances and I'm pretty sure I'd like most if not all of them.

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Hi Dennard, yes get samples if you can. That is the best way to know how it suits you. Here's how I rank them.
Blenheim Bouquet. Lemon + pine, very dry and cool. No problems with longevity for me.
English Fern. Wonderful classic fougere scent, green moss and woods.
Castile. Gorgeous neroli (orange blossom) scent.
Hammam Bouquet. A rich oriental, too opulent for my tastes but a true classic.

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Dennard,
I voted for Hammam Bouquet because I like it so much, but I also like and own English Fern. For your tastes and uses I think English Fern might be your preference of these two--very bookstore, calm, thoughtful, smart, unassuming, gentleman. Hammam would be good too, but not as comfortable--more extravagant. Stylin describes Hammam very well above.

I've meant to buy Blenheim Bouquet when I get around to it, and Castile sure isn't bad stuff.

Good list to pick from. The quality of the list makes it a hard choice.

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Actually, Racquets would be my choice, but since that wasn't a choice, I picked Castile. BB is nice though the longevity could be better. Hammam to me smells like musty, dusty rose, and not overly attractive. I've tried English Fern, but i dont recall what it smells like.

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I can't vote as I only own two of them.

Blenheims Bouqet I bought dirt cheap, is quite nice for half an hour, then turns to something mainly like pine, which doesn't last strongly that long.
Castille I bought cheap too. I put on the other day, and it hung around with a bit of strength for over nine hours on me. I find it quite a pleasant experience, probably more suited to warmer weather.
Renato

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Dennard,
I've got to give a tip of the hat to JonB who suggests a wonderful one not on your list: Racquets Formula. It's also an excellent one for who you are, since it fits very well with Guerlain Vetiver style genre type I think.

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As something as a Penhaligon's officianado, I would always go with Hammam Bouquet first, Castile joint second with Elixir.

Hammam is unique, utterly unique in the fragrance world, a beautiful floral oriental that is without peer.

It is also, however, incredibly powdery and sweet. If, like me, you are not keen on those old school English frags which smell like a high court judge, my advice would be to steer clear of Hammam. Checking out your wardrobe, it looks like you might be okay with that type of scent, but I thought it prudent to give the warning.

I voted for Blenheim Bouquet. I love its combo of pepper and pine, however Castile is also good. My favourite Pen's of all, though, is Opus 1870 - a wonderful pepper scent which is not too disimilar from Blenheim and, on me, lasts for ages.

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From your list I would pick Hammam and would also give an enthusiastic thumbs up to the excellent Racquets Formula.
Don't ignore the more contemporary releases - LP No.9 and Endymion are both excellent and definitely worth sampling.

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Originally Posted by JON RODGERS

LP No 9...excellent and definitely worth sampling.

Has there been a bit of a 180 on LP No 9? I remember it coming out to loads of negative reviews, but now people generally seem to think highly of it. I've never smelt it so can't offer my own thoughts, but found it interesting the number of people now recommending it.

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Originally Posted by great_badir

Has there been a bit of a 180 on LP No 9? I remember it coming out to loads of negative reviews, but now people generally seem to think highly of it. I've never smelt it so can't offer my own thoughts, but found it interesting the number of people now recommending it.

For me it gets top marks all round. I find it a highly indulgent and addictive spicy oriental. Sillage is robust and longevity as good as it gets. I have only received positive comments on it so far. Girlfriend loves it.

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If you decide you like Blenheim Bouquet from sampling, but would like to consider less expensive alternatives, consider Eau de Rochas Homme as having a similar character, easily available at a lower price point. I prefer BB, but certainly could see someone going for the Rochas offering instead.

Additionally, if you like English Fern, Trumper's Wild Fern is an alternative for this type of fougere, that in my mind is a little smoother and easier to wear.

You mentioned Extract of Limes. It is nice, but much too ephemeral to my liking. It has no base notes and it is among a handful of scents that disappoint me for longevity issues.

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One comment on Castile. I have only worn it twice and both times there was a brief period maybe 30 minutes in that I found very unpleasant. It went away quickly. I need to wear it again and see if I can replicate it and understand it as well.

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I got a follow-up email from Penhaligon's website today. I had written them and asked for samples of the four in my poll plus violetta and extract of limes. They told me that they were sending these, so I'm hoping I will get them before too long. But I've read a few stories of people having a tough time actually getting the samples which makes me nervous. Crossing my fingers, anyway.

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Vibert writes "To me it smells stiff and overly formal, and I couldn’t imagine wearing it unless I were going to meet with foreign dignitaries, and highly conservative ones at that"

This is one review from the great Vibert which I disagree on. The scent is a brilliant sour citrusy one, perfect for summer in my opinion. I think one would be able to wear this casually with no problems.

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I buy my hisband the set of 4 in a box, because he gets tired of how long it takes to use a bigger bottle, & Endymion is his & my favourite. I just wish they'd vary the content of the set more frequently.

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Originally Posted by CAM1956

I buy my hisband the set of 4 in a box, because he gets tired of how long it takes to use a bigger bottle, & Endymion is his & my favourite. I just wish they'd vary the content of the set more frequently.

That's the only reason I didn't order the sample set. I wanted to try specific selections from the line. My luckyscent samples came in today, which was extremely fast. I'm looking forward to going through the samples over the weekend.

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I have recently bought Castile and had concerns that it was flowery when I first sampled it. But the more I wear the fragrance it comes across as a unisex/neutral scent. I would not describe it as feminine or masculine but more along the lines of a orange blossom soapy clean fragrance that anyone could wear. Longevity sucks though but the opening is great.